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Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio Earphones (Black)
Ultimate Ears
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$99.99
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$65.14 |
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$34.85
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Single Driver technology with full range precision balanced armature. Full Spectrum Sound. Noise Isolating Design attenuates outside noise by an amazing 26db. Comfortable and Secure Ear Loops. Includes Universal Fit kit and a protective metallic travel case to store earphones.
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Customer Reviews
for Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio Earphones (Black) --- Ultimate Ears
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Finally music!
Ever (tried to) listen to music on a CRJ or ERJ? If you like music and fly weekly as I do this is the one must have upgrade on any mp3 player (unless it comes with these). Cheapest model I believe. Works great for me. I wish there was a model with a mike to use on my Iphone. That would even 'sweeten the deal' or make it a must have. They even come with a fit small enough to keep these in my little ears.
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Great Headphones
Just purchased the Ultimate Ear Super fi 3 ear buds and they are great. They sort of locks in the bass. These are the best ear buds I've purchased. I have Sony, Bose and creative labs ear buds, they're OK but not like the Ultimate ear. Highly recommed.
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Great sounds and excellent noise isolation but not great for working out
Overall the sound quality for these are great. There really isn't anything bad you can say about them. I have been using them on flights and for working out. and noise isolation is excellent. They are much less bulky and a lot cheaper than noise cancelling headsets. You will go through a couple of popping cycles with the pressurization.
My gripe is how it tends to wiggle out when exercising, cardio or otherwise. You'll have to re-adjust them regularly during an activity, but because they hang on your ears they won't drop out of reach
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AMAZING!
I had been wanting to replace my Sony in ear headphones for about a year but not wanting to buy before I try and never finding a store that carried the 2 brands I wanted to try I held off. Well, during a lay over at O'Hara I finally had my chance. One of the airport shops had both the Shure and the Ultimate ears AND they had test models available too. The clerk was very paitent and allowed me to swap back and forth between 2 Shure models as well as 2 Ultimate Ears models and the difference between the 2 brands was amazingly different. I HIGHLY recommend the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 BUT! BUT! Compare before you buy if at all possible! By the way I paid $99 so the Amazon price is great.
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Good sound, good price
I'm very pleased with these phones overall. They are a little hard to get seated in the ear for a good seal, but after performing the flip-flop mod (Google "super-fi flip-flop mod'), I get a much better seal and better sound. Nice flat soundstage, and very good isolation. Try the foam tips and different sized silicone for the best fit.
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Hope for smaller ears.
I wasn't sure about these when I first got them, because I couldn't get them to stay in my ears. Apparently, I have small ear canals, because even the smallest silicone tips were rejected by my ears. I'd push them in as far as I could (using the method recommended in the video), but as soon as I pulled my hand away I could feel/hear them slowly being squeezed out. After wetting and twisting and pushing, I finally found a moderately reliable seal with the dual-flange silicone tips. I do work out with these, and I find that I'm constantly fidgeting with them and pushing them into my ears. It may be that they slip out, or it may just be me being obsessive. I honestly can't tell.
The sound? With a good seal: oh my goodness! Prior to owning these, the most I'd ever invested in any kind of headphones was $40 for the Sony MDR-EX51LP's. I loved the bass response and isolation of those, but they didn't last too long. These have superior sound and noise isolation, and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest by the bass response.
These have become the standard against which all my future head/earphones will be judged.
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Excellent, once you get used to them
I wanted a set of earphones that would stay in my ears better than those supplied with my iPod and also a set that could effectively be used on an airplane, i.e., could shut out most of the ambient noise. The UE Super.fi 3's have met my expectations, albeit, not without some initial struggles on my part. I found that the medium-size ear cushions that came pre-installed hurt my ears, probably because my ears were not used to having something jammed so deeply into them. I tried the smaller size cushions which only made matter worse since those allowed the earphones to protrude even further into my ear canal. I tried the foam cushions, which felt a little better but were very unstable and would always come off the earphones when I removed them, leaving me with a couple of foam cushions stuck in my ears. I was on the verge of shipping these back to try something else but I persevered. I finally figured out that I needed to go to the larger size cushions so that the earphones did not protrude as far into my ear canals but, nonetheless, sufficiently muted outside noise. The sound quality was not compromised in any way and I am a happy camper. Now, it's possible that my ear canals just finally got used to having something stuck in them, so that might be part of it. Bottom line is to have a little patience at finding the right ear cushion and just wearing them for awhile should make you happy with your purchase. Sound quality-wise, these earphones are superb. I did not want a product that over-emphasized the bass response but had clean sound across all frequencies and these meet that requirement. Highly recommended.
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spendy
I'm satisfied with the sound, and accesory pack is good with options to get the right fit, cost is high. got as good of sounding set for a Sansa for less than half the money without the case for storage.
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Good sound when properly fitted
The sound of these buds is only as good as the fit they can make to your ear canals. The bass response is virtually nonexistent unless and until you screw the earpieces well into your ears. I had trouble getting a good fit even with the various sized silicone cushions they supply, but that may be just my ears. Also, finding the 'R'ight and 'L'eft markings on the earpieces is a chore - the UE folks had to email a picture to me to show me where to look. All that said, once the things are screwed in the sound is Great!
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new to in-ears? read this
There seems to be a bit of confusion regarding in-ear headphones just within these reviews alone -- hopefully this will clarify a point or two for a first-time buyer.
First: the UE Super.fi 3 earphones are NOT noise-cancelling headphones. Noise-cancellation involves some sort of "masking" white noise, or phase cancellation, in order to reduce external noise. What in-ear headphones/monitors do is (hopefully) provide a strong seal INSIDE the ear-canal, blocking out external noise in the process. (The Super.fi 3s provide about -26db isolation, creating a quieter environment, thus enabling the user to listen at lower volumes.)
Second: a lot of reviews seem to not grasp the concept of in-ears in general, complaining about lack of bass and that they're uncomfortable. True, various makes of in-ear headphones might not fit everyone, but they ARE meant to be inserted INTO the ear-canal. This is, in fact, how in-ears produce bass -- the bone-conduction of the ear-canal itself becomes part of the sound reproduction. If you're not looking for a pair of "in-canal" phones, these in fact WON'T produce much bass for you.
That said, a few notes on the UE Super-fi 3s themselves:
ROLLED-OFF HIGHS: the Super.fi 3s are Ultimate Ears' entry-level phones, and as such, I wasn't expecting too much "sparkle" -- I mostly just wanted something to make my train commute quieter so I could hear my music again. These phones DEFINITELY have that "warm" sound you hear people talking about, for better or worse -- the high-end reproduction is rolled off significantly. That might have something to do with the "balanced armature" drivers, though, which are unusual even for the rest of UE's products -- it makes for a MUCH more "transparent" listening experience than I'm accustomed to. (Crisp highs might be present when listening to super-high-tech glossy production -- electronic tracks, for example -- whereas tracks that have just "normal" amounts of high-end sparkle -- say, the Beatles -- don't have the same sizzle you'd expect from regular phones.)
SOMEWHAT LARGE DRIVERS: I have slightly narrower-than-average ear canals, but most in-ear drivers (Shures, Westones) fit me decently. The Super.fi 3s have a ever-so-slightly bigger driver opening than usual (again, because of the balanced armature drivers?), so even with the smallest ear-tips, the UEs are just barely small enough to provide the needed seal, at least on my right ear. For most people, probably not a problem, but if you know you have narrow ear canals, you might want to choose a UE set with smaller drivers.
Other than that, I would have to say these are fantastic -- for under $100, these are a complete bargain. The quality is a drastic improvement from any non-in-ear set, and you'd be hard pressed to find a pair of in-ears of this quality for anywhere near the price.
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excellent audio clarity
A fine purchase and well worth the cost. A *significant* upgrade over sub 40$ range in ear headphones. Included adapter makes for a tight fit with the iphone. I found the foam buds to be the most versatile and comfortable for long wearing. Audio Clarity is "nearly on-par" with my Grado SR80's that I use for studio environments with no ambient noise. The Grado's give you a little more in terms of subtle mid range and high range but the open design is prone to interference of ambient noise and they aren't portable.
With the Super.fi 3's you get portability, excellent audio clarity, and the excellent bonus of blocking outside noise such as public transit, the public in general etc. These earphones make an excellent alternative for audiophiles who don't want to break the budget and are looking for a portable, ambient blocking, hi-fi in ear design. For studio type listening I still recommend the Grado SR60 or 80
FIT is very important, in order to properly enjoy these you must have a good seal. Follow the instructions, try all the attached buds to find the ones that work best for you. It took me a few try's to get used to the over ear wire and find the proper bud for me.
Additionally, I found that bass was a little weaker than I would have preferred. A slight bump using the equalizer fixed this.
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Hurt my Ears
The sound is good and I have the right fit. Unfortunately, the silicone is a little too hard and my left ear quickly learns to hate any size cover that I use. I'm going back to my $15 Skull Candy that don't hurt.
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Good not Great
Maybe these are the low end model, but was not impressed at all.
If you can get the Denon AH-C700K, those are much better but at a higher price. Picked up the Denon AH-C700K back when Amazon had them for $99.
That was a great price.
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Great Sound, Great Comfort, Great Value!
I'm giving this 5 stars to help make up for some of the 1 and 2-star reviews. Otherwise, I'd give it a 4.5 star rating. These headphones are phenomenal. I use them as an in-ear monitoring system at my church. I understand where some reviewers have said that there is no bass. However, if you put these headphones in your ear properly, there is no problem with the bass...I actually had to turn the bass DOWN a bit! The key to getting the most from these headphones is to sit down and listen to the same song while changing out ear buds to get the right fit. I took about 20-30 minutes to do that and it has paid off for me. I'm glad I didn't spend another $100 for the super fi 5. I probably would have spent more than I needed to!
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good earphones
i didn't realize that these earphones were in-ear plugs with the wire over the top of the ear. This drove me crazy, but i simply switched sides and put them directly in my ears, without the over the ear wire. They fit well this way too and it doesn't seem to make a difference to the quality of sound. High noise isolation qualities (good on subways!), but not that great of bass, especially with an iPod that already doesn't have that great of base. In all a 4 out of 5 purchase, a good price, and much better than the old pair i had with a pretty good sound.
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Beautifully clear sound, but absolutely no bass.
Previous earphones: used UE Metro.Fi for about 1 year (who steals earbuds at Starbucks?), been borrowing my friend's Shure E2c for about 3 months.
I got these about 3 days ago and have been using them about 4 hours a day. I usually listen to my own CD's ripped at high quality (256kps at minimum) and I like my music pretty loud. Maybe these need a couple weeks to break them in, but I think I'll be returning them and going back to the Metro.Fi. Here are my impressions:
Clear Sound - listening to Josh Groban or George Winston, the sound comes out clean, like you're in the concert hall. No hiss, no distortion until the volume gets ridiculously loud. Vocals come out really great.
Underrepresented Bass - at first, I thought I put them in wrong. But after 3 days, I realize that these just don't have the bass. Playing Kanye West or Akon, the songs just sound terrible. Bass is worse than the Shures, which are notorious for weak bass. Probably enough for classical or soft pop, but some types of music need that oomph from the low range (super.fi's use a balanced armature instead of a dynamic drive, so weak bass is expected. But I didn't think it would be this bad; my Metro.Fi's blow this away).
Overrepresented Highs - maybe I just notice this due to the lack of bass, but many songs sound too bright (Usher, Rascal Flatts). I can lower the treble, but that just ruins the dynamics of the music.
Conclusion: these sound like reference headphones; clean sound that lets you hear all the music, but doesn't let you tweak them to get the sound you want. Makes sense since the Super.Fi line is for musicians. But for normal people, the Metro.Fi's are much better. The lack of bass is the killer here... if you just listen to classical and soft pop, these actually would be a great set to have. But if you like any other type of music, look elsewhere.
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Amazing earphones -take your time getting the right fit
I'm completely happy with this purchase. Amazing sound and BASS! The key to success is to take your time getting the right fit. You get several different ear pieces and it took me quite a while trying different combinations to get the right fit. The soft ones were a good place to start to give you a base line of what to try for in terms of sound quality and isolation. I then moved to the silicone style for better durability. I ended up using a small in one ear and a medium in the other. You know you have a good fit when you get almost a vacuum seal to your ear. The bass is very balanced with good lows once you get the right fit. If you don't hear deep bass keep working on the fit. These are worth the extra effort for the great sound!!
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I have glasses~ noise cancellation...
i received these earphones Feb 16th 2008
i wear glasses
first of all, they dont have complete noise cancellation like i read in reviews
it does reduce noise, but not completely, i can hear a clock ticking when im alone in a quiet room
the wires are pretty stiff
i like the sound quality
it doesnt come with a leather case...
it is pretty annoying with glasses because the back of your glasses go on the top of your ears but the wires are there
i find it easiest to put the earphones on first and then putting on glasses, still... they get in the way
i still recommend these headphones
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Fit Dependent
This is the third pair of earphones I have tried on the last 2 months and am now on my fourth pair (hopefully my last for a while).
A short backstory:
I have had a pair of Sony MDR-EX51's for the past couple of years but had always thought the sound was just OK, while the fit was a revelation. I have never found traditional *buds* (iPod included type earphones) very comfortable for long periods. So a couple of years ago I tried out the Sony's.
They have a fit that I love. I can wear them for hours on a plane and have even worn them snowboarding with a hat. They never seem to get fatiguing from a fit perspective; sound wise, I always had a sense they just weren't there. I could sometimes hear a *crackle* that I knew just wasn't right.
So empboldened by recent home theater research I set out to find a new pair of earphones. Hopefully a pair with a fit like the Sony's and improved sound to boot.
First, I tried the MDR-EX85's and they just weren't right (see my review for details).
Next came the Ultimate Ears SF3's in clear.
Sound: Much improved versus the Sony's. The clarity of the music was much improved although don't expect a ton of bass as other reviewers have said. I was aware of this though, and for me this wasn't an issue. These phones sound great and considering that they are priced only ~$20 more (street), definitely worth the additional money. Additonally, these earphones are extremely efficient meaning that they they put out a ton of sound with a little imput. In fact I had to turn down my iPod quite a bit to keep the approximate volume that I was used to with the old EX51's.
Fit: The reason these phones were sent back. Thought they actually felt good in ear, they just didn't work for me in this regard. Using them as they were designed with the cord looping over my ear to support them wasn't as akward as I thought it would be, nor as bothersome. Once they were in they were great.
But here's the rub, the phones were just clumsy to use. Maybe I'm just hadn't gotten used to them yet but they seemed less than intutive to use. I kept getting the sides mixed up when trying to put them back on - it was just a clunky experience. Not only that but I was additionally not helped by the fact that I didn't want to straighten them everytime but use the *bend* from the previous usage.
The *bend* comes from the fact that these phones contain a metal *memory* wire near the phone to keep the cable looped over the top of your ear. And like any wire continued bening of this wire will eventually cause them to fail. Now mine didn't break in the short period I had them but I knew that I would have to baby them because of this.
Getting a good seal was also difficult for me. Sometimes they would seal and sometimes it would seem that I had an ear that just wasn't cooperating. I did try the larger silicon gasket but this didn't seem to fix things entirely.
Lastly, these things just stick out. I believe this is where my sealing issues were originating but I can't be certain. The cord as another reviewer has mentioned is quite thick and beefy feeling, though people might consider this both a blessing and a curse. It should be more durable but at the same time it had a hard time *draping* naturally.
In the end, for me, these phones would have been more of a compromise than I was willing to make. I have a hard time giving the product a low rating based on the quality of the product and the performance-to-price ratio it offers. It is quite a package but definitely contains some caveats that you should think through when considering them, i.e. are these going to be used during sports, etc.
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